The impetus for systematic and skilled care of children’s teeth arose from the experience of the director of the New Zealand Army Dental Services during the First World War. He sought to train women through a two-year course in preventive dentistry for school children, with an emphasis on dental health education. Thirty-five students were trained in 1921, and by 1937, 161 nurses were working in 252 clinics. Services were also available to pre-school children.